A Purple Heart found in Michigan has been returned to the veteran’s family in California through a collaboration between the Michigan Veterans Affairs and the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
“The MVAA is honored to have played a role in returning this Purple Heart to the veteran’s family,” siad director Terry J. Sabo in a statement. “This return wouldn’t have been possible without the partnership between the two teams and is a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together to honor those who have served.”
The story began in 1944 when 19-year-old John Van Doorne of Grand Rapids decided to enlist in the Army at the height of World War II. He was sent to Germany, where he gave his life for the country. Van Doorne’s parents and siblings were notified about his death a week after his passing.
“My sister and I never met our uncle, but our mother often shared stories about him,” said Van Doorne’s nephew William Alofs. “We were told that our family was heartbroken over John’s passing, and our grandmother spent weeks in bed.”
Alofs and his sister, Lou Ellen Blouw, were given letters and photographs of their late uncle throughout the years and tried piecing together the location of where he may be buried. It wouldn’t be until
A discovery by the sister of a late Vietnam War-era veteran that would become the missing link to the story.
Terry James Timmer was drafted into the Navy in 1967 as an aircraft carrier ranger during the Vietnam War. Timmer served for three years before returning home to Michigan. After his service, Timmer became an avid collector and purchased two properties near Grand Rapids to house his various collectables. Timmer passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic and his sister, Mary Hoving, became the executor of his estate.
While recently going through one of her brother’s properties, Hoving discovered a Purple Heart stored inside the back of a cabinet. Hoving was unfamiliar with the last name and was surprised it was in her brother’s possession. Not wanting to throw it away, she reached out to MVAA veteran service officer Austin Ramey.
Private First-Class John Van Doorne.Photo courtesy California Department of Veterans Affairs
“It was not right to throw something like this away,” she said. “This is a treasured medal, and it would be a shame to let it go like that.”
With assistance from MVAA partnership coordinator Allen Dow and MVAA VSO manager Stefanie MacDonald, Ramey was able to track down who the medal belonged to and any living descendants. The Purple Heart belonged to Van Doorne with a niece and nephew in California.
“I’m glad I found the Purple Heart and that the family has received it,” said Hoving. “It was truly an honor.”
The MVAA began collaborating with CalVet to bring a long-overdue piece of history home to Van Doorne’s loved ones. Sabo met with CalVet Secretary Lindsey Sin in Washington, D.C., to exchange the medal.
Sin presented the Purple Heart to Alofs and Blouw at CalVet’s headquarters in Sacramento on March 17. For decades, Van Doorne’s family only knew him through stories, but they never knew he had been awarded the Purple Heart.
Not only did Van Doorne’s family receive the lost Purple Heart, but they also finally got closure on where their uncle’s final resting place is located. Alofs and Blouw thought Van Doorne was buried at a U.S. military cemetery near Saint-Avold, France, according to family letters, but it was unclear if their grandparents had requested to bring him back to Michigan. The MVAA notified Van Doorne’s descendants that their uncle was, in fact, brought home and now lies at Rest Lawn Memorial Park in Grand Rapids, next to his parents.
“We are thankful for Mary reaching out to get our uncle’s medal home,” said Alofs. “It’s so important to pass on the knowledge to younger people about the sacrifices past generations have made for them.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com
